This book transports the reader into the spirit of great music, so that when he encounters an unfamiliar composition he will feel at home in its style and will have some idea of what to expect. It examines five great periods--the Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, and Modern--and teaches him the technique of listening so that he can identify the style and form of a piece of music and place it in its proper period. For unless our ears can tell us the difference between a fugue and a sonata, the study of names, dates and historical trends will be futile.

Here is a book written for all who derive real pleasure from listening to music and want to learn more about it. Its aim is to increase enjoyment through intelligent appreciation. Without presupposing any technical knowledge on the part of the reader, Douglas Moore explains what happens in a piece of music, analyzing familiar compositions as examples.